Car Tech forum: Internet Radio For Cars

First off, as far as where I fit on the tech savvy scale, I'm pretty close to the bottom. So all of you who answer my concerns are going to know way more than I do--which is why I'm here.Some months ago I purchased a Logitech SqueezeboxRadio, and together with a wi-fi router, I'm enjoying thewide, wide world of Internet Radio in my home--no longer a slave to commercial radio and the confines of local FM.When I went shopping for the same thing to put into mycar, the limitations were immediately apparent: at thepresent time, the only way you can access in a car what Ihave in my home is with a combination of bluetooth andsmartphone technology. Well, I'm pretty sure I'll neverhave a smartphone(I use my pretty basic cellphone strictly to talk on)--call me "old-fashioned", but that's theway it's going to be.I can't believe the solution to my car audio wish list is notavailable. Can it be that difficult to achieve? Does any-body care(I can't believe all you "techies" out there don'twish for a simpler, seamless system than what existsnow)? I've heard that one roadblock is that the autocompanies, because they don't want the competition from satellite radio developing such a technology, areexerting pressure on the car audio manufacturers to"stay within the box".Whatever the reason(s), when can I expect to be able tobuy what I want, without all the intermediate steps thatexist now?Thanks for your responses.

I'm certainly not knowledgeable concerning patents, except that they are a necessary part of the invention of products process. But, whatever it took to get my home system to market should also be possible, and no more difficult, relatively speaking(since it goes in a car instead of the home) for a car system.

" when can I expect to be able to buy what I want, without all the intermediate steps that exist now?"

I see Kees has noted an item but google this -> MP3CAR to discover a long running effort on car audio systems. I work in some commercial engineering company and my view is that with the current climate, it's going to be awhile unless you can use something and make it yourself.Bob

- First you need internet in your car. That's a 3G device (unless WiFi is available everywhere you drive). That's a smartphone or a tablet. - Then you need some program that can connect to Internet and play music. That's an app, unless it's hardware. Apps run on smartphones or tablets.

If not happy with the sound quality of your device you need a connection between it and your car audio. That can be bluetooth or a cable, like you use to connect mp3-player to your car audio.

If it's not available in one box with the same form factor as a car audio, well, that''s more a question of marketing and sales predictions then a technical issue. And if it's isn't available, you can't buy it, whatever your expectations. So it's time to contact the makers of car audio systems and suggest them to start making it. They will have at least one customer!

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